Monthly Archives: February 2014

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, SOLIDARIDAD, February 18, 2014 – A violent armed assault was perpetrated by three hooded subjects using pistols, who threatened some divers where they were diving at a cenote about 15 miles south of the city. They took expensive computerized equipment. In an effort to hide its inefficiency, the State Attorney General ordered the administrators of the location to not discuss the event with the news media.

The events occurred at 2:30PM, when the operators at the emergency call center received a call wherein it was reported there was an assault at the “Taj Mahal” cenote, located 15 miles south of the city. There was an apparent operation implemented by the State Judicial Police, Municipal Police and Federal Police, who surrounded the site when they arrived, while the public minister investigated what happened.

One of the location administrators, who asked to remain anonymous, said that several tourist were diving in the crystal clear waters, when three subjects carrying semi-automatic pistols and wearing ski masks, entered from the side of the property and threatened the few visitors who were under the trees and who were forced to lay on the ground. The thieves went to work breaking into the vehicles to steal valuable objects.

The most startling moment was when a group of divers, being led by a Spanish guide who is only known by the name of Nathaly, came out of the cenote and were immediately threatened by the assailants and forced to lay on the ground while they were relieved of many aquatic computers they were carrying for their dives into the cenote.

Once the thieves had their loot, the left running by a dirt road and entered an area where the evidence shows they were smoking marijuana cigarettes, and then left southbound to a barbwire fence where some of the food they stole from the cars they broke into were found, and as a signature of their robbery, they hung a ski mask at that location.

According to one of the “Taj Mahal” cenote administrators, the Attorney General, through commander Gustavo Rodríguez, ordered them to prohibit access to and to not talk with the news media, in a useless effort to hide the inefficiency that has plunged the population into violence, which sadly has reached alarming levels, which they intend to hide by cutting off the right of free speech.

MORELIA, February 21, 2014 – According to investigations into the disappearance of Harry Devert, carried out by Michoacán authorities, the American motorcyclist did not disappear in Michoacán, but in the state of Guerrero.

Excélsior had access to confidential reports from state attorneys general, where it was affirmed that the last location where the “globetrotter” was seen was at Playa Troncones, between Ixtapa and Lázaro Cárdenas, Michocán.

According to the testimony of a person arrested by the Zihautanejo police, Harry was detained by members of organized crime under the command of a subject called El Gavilán and his lieutenant, known as El Tigre, who kidnapped him.

According to the investigations by special personnel of the two state prosecutors, those who captured Harry Devert belong to a criminal group known an Los Guerreros, who a few months ago were a part of the Knights Templar Cartel, and now serve the interests of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The investigation took a turn when at the beginning of the week, Bryan Jiménez Mandujano was arrested in Zihuatanejo. A pistol with a prohibited caliber for civilians was taken from that person. When he was interrogated by the Public Minister, he confessed to being a part of an organized crime cell.

According to government sources, Bryan Jiménez confessed that his boss, a subject identified as Adrián Reyes Cadena, El Tigre, kidnapped the young man from New York with the idea that he was a member of the United States anti-drug agency, the DEA.

As of yesterday the location of the American motorcyclist has not been established, because Jiménez Mandujano had not provided much data. The arrested man said he did not know the fate of the victim of his criminal organization, but the investigations indicate he was taken to a ranch called La Palma, near Petatlán, Guerrero, where El Tigre and his criminal group are based.

One version, which was not confirmed by the state ministerial authorities, says that Adrián Reyes was seen in Zihuatanejo riding the motorcycle owned by the missing man.

BACALAR, Quintana Roo.- In a sparsely populated area, where some condominiums were located on the shore of Laguna de los Siete Colores, a group of armed subjects assaulted a family of Canadians and took all their belongings.

One of the victims said she was in her home, with her parents and her sister, when suddenly a person with his face covered with a black hood burst through the front door. At the same time another hooded subject burst in through the back door.

Terror overcame the young girl, who started a fit of screaming, and the last suspect to enter made a gesture to be quiet while threatening her with a firearm. The young girl opted to hide in one of the rooms in the house and the criminals managed to capture her and tie her hands and gag her. The same happened to the rest of the family.

The criminals searched the home at will, and took 4,000 pesos (US$320), a black backpack with personal documents, two iPhones, jewelry, a camera and two portable computers.

With the loot in hand, the thieves threatened to kill the whole family if they tired anything, and then immediately fled in an unknown direction.

The municipal police deployed an impressive operation in the vicinity, searching open spaces and surrounding roads to try to locate the criminals. They had no results.

According to the victims, they suspect a former worker at the condominiums. The victimized family was invited to file a complaint with the Public Minister.

TIJUANA, BC, February 19, 2014 – Emilio Daniel López Gutiérrez, murdered yesterday afternoon in the Las Palmas subdivision in the La Mesa district, was an American citizen who was born in the United States and worked and grew up in San Diego, California, according to a message sent this evening to Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias of Tijuana.

Rodrigo López, who says he is the 35-year old man’s brother, says in his message that Emilio Daniel, “is an American who died due to the violence in Mexico,” and then warned he would let the rest of his country know about it.
Expressing surprise that the information was publicized, Rodrigo López also warned, “this death of my brother should not be swept under the carpet. Tomorrow I am going to contact the American Consul (United States Consulate in Tijuana) so that they report the news of the violence in Tijuana.”

He added, “I don’t know what we can do, but the world must know that for people visiting Mexico it is very dangerous, and perhaps the government and politicians can help the people live in peace.”

COZUMEL, Quintana Roo – A tourist boat sank with an excess of passengers in the southern part of the island of Cozumel, the sailor ended up with a wound to the arm. The rescue of the tourists and crew of the boat “Tres Hermanos” was carried out by a boat that was sailing in the area of the sinking. The sinking caused a gasoline spill in the area of the reef, that was controlled by naval personnel. During the afternoon of the same day, there was a report of another boat also carrying tourists that sank due to damage to its glass bottom.

Around 11AM on Thursday, crew of the boat “Tres Hermanos,” license 2304030214-7, reported via radio to the harbormaster that they were taking on water and the boat was sinking in the area of Colombia Reef, in the southern part of the island.

The Navy was advised to start a search and rescue effort, and personnel on a Defender class boat went to the location.

Before the Navy boat arrived, the crew of the “Estrella de Mar” rendered rescue help before the boat with 11 tourists as passengers, the captain and a seaman, sank. They were transferred to dry land. Their identities was not reported.

Alfonso Rodríguez Loaiza, harbor master, said the the boat is owned by Oscar Hernández Espinoza, and as of Thursday afternoon the cause of the sinking of the 12 meter long boat has not been determined. He said that the vessel has a capacity to transport 20 persons.

It is hoped that today, Friday, Hernández Espinoza comes forth to provide a report on the events and determine if there will be a monetary fine issued, although he did not provide data on the delay in the information.

On prior occasions, maritime authorities had provided data on the causes of the incidents immediately, based upon the statements of the passengers and crew. As of Thursday afternoon, the boat had not been recovered.

A sailor said that on the marine band radio it was reported that the cause of the sinking was because the boat was overloaded, due to the fact the boat is designed for 10 people and had four tourists too many.

The boat belongs to Oscar Hernández, but it is operated by a Riviera Maya business called “Prodive,” which provides services to a hotel in the southern part of the island.

In another matter, around 3PM there was a report of the sinking of a glass bottom boat called “Fany” in the area of Hotel Villablanca, in the southern part of the island. The boat was carrying tourists and maritime authorities have not provided any details.

An elderly Ontario couple is dead after a home invasion in their Mexican home over the weekend.

Edward Kular, 84, of Scarborough, and Nina Discombe, 72, of Ottawa, were found murdered in their house on Sunday morning in Jalisco, in western central Mexico.

“They were brutally beaten and stabbed. They were targeted. At this point we have more questions than answers. I hope they catch these bastards,” Kular’s daughter-in-law Christine said Monday from her Aurora home.

The couple arrived six months ago in Ajijic, a town 50 km south of Guadalajara, where they had purchased a house.

“My father-in-law had been going down for years and never had any problems. He used to rent and they had just taken possession of the house,” Kular said.

PLAYAS DE ROSARITO.- An armed and hooded squad, armed with AK-47s, entered a “table dance” on bulevar Popotla, and kidnapped the manager of the establishment while they fired inside and outside, which caused terror among the customers in the tourist zone.

According to police reports, the events happened around 10PM on Saturday at the “Doll House” table dance, located at kilometer 29 on bulevar Popotla.

The squad, made up of five men with black caps, broke in with large caliber AK-47 rifles called “goat horns,” they strafed the interior and forced the customers and workers to hit the floor, which caused terror for everybody in the place.

The men headed for the office where they found the manager, named Antonio García Aguirre, 52 years old, who they took with them.

They forced García Aguirre into a red Voyager van and then fired some shots and fled in an unknown direction.

Inside the establishment were found spent 7.62 x 39 cartridges, used by the AK-47. It should be mentioned that the outside sign for the business is very small for the size of the building, and it appears it is a clandestine night club.

Inside are billiard tables and white seats and a space with a pole in the center of the room. The municipal police started an operation, but as usually happens in these cases, they did not find the squad, nor the person kidnapped.

Violence has become an everyday topic for Mexicans, so much so that nine cities are among the 50 most violent in the world, according to a 2013 Ranking presented by the Citizens Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.

Culiacán is in 16th place, Torreón is 18th, Chihuhua is 21st, Ciudad Victoria is 22nd, Nuevo Laredo is 30th, Ciudad Juárez, which since 2008 to 2010 was in first place, is now in 37th place, Cuernavaca in 43rd and Tijuana — which was not in the ranking in 2011 and 2012, took 47th.

José Antonio Ortega, president of the Citizens Council, criticized states such as Tamaulipas, Coahuila or Chihuahua for “falsifying” the information, as they should be located higher on the list.

According to INEGI, the most obvious case was Nuevo Laredo, where the government reported 288 murders in 2012, but INEGI registered 544 murders, or 89% more. This means that in reality the murder rate was 137 per 100,000 inhabitants, and would put it in 3rd place in the world rankings.

In Torreón, the local administration reported to the State System of the National System of Public Safety 462 murders in 2012, meanwhile INEGI registered 792, or 71% more.

In the same manner, the municipality of Chihuahua, the authorities reported some 363 murders during 2012, and INEGI counted 587, or 62% more. That means that capitol has a homicide rate of 69.56 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, not 43.49 and would be in 12th place in the ranking, not 21st.